Mahindra XUV500 Automatic : Official Review

This is a discussion on Mahindra XUV500 Automatic : Official Review within Official New Car Reviews, part of the Team-BHP Reviews category; Fabulous review. With my car likely to be junked due to flood, am seriously considering this. Will the interior be ...

Fabulous review. With my car likely to be junked due to flood, am seriously considering this. Will the interior be as luxurious as Passat ? ( that is my car this is now beyond repair. As many others pointed out, skipping start / stop may be ok, but skimping on keyless entry is really not a wise move, especially with the manual version of the car having this.

Guess we can't have the perfect car at decent price which XUV 500 AT is all about.

I had booked my XUV 500 W8 AT Sunset Orange on the day of the launch itself. Hence, I was very anxious about the review. I kept checking it everyday.

The TD's are in my opinion the biggest problem for M&M for the XUV AT. A lot of non tier 1 cities don't get them soon enough. ( Like my city , Visakhapatnam, for instance. They still haven't got one and they only expect to get along with the batch of first deliveries. )

My dealer here has been less than useful in providing a proper delivery date! Initially, I was promised drive in the last week of December for a 2015 VIN vehicle. Yesterday, I had a serious talk with the dealer. Luckily, a direct company representative was in city for dealership inspection and I got to talk with her. I now have a printed letter stating they will deliver my baby before the 10th of January.

A point to note though, the vehicles with a 2016 VIN would apparently cost around 20k Higher. I was informed about this by the company representative. Bummer

See with the torque convertor the gearbox and engine are not physically connected (the transmission fluid acts as that connection medium).
I drive an i10 auto. There should not be any vibrations on the brake pedal nor the steering wheel. Infact not even the gear selection lever.

What you say is true for smaller low torque engines, in engines with low RPM torque above a particular level 20kgm or so, the torque converters are not totally free, either a converter lock or a wet clutch exists along with the converter, so they have a positive drive, often this wetclutch is multiplate one and it leads to vibrations if some settings are incorrect.
The converter lock or wet clutch as applicable helps provide good effeciency that's why we see that smaller engined automatic vehicles have larger difference in effeciency in comparison to their manual counterparts, and this difference reduces as the engine size (torque) increases.
Diesels above 1.6 lit may have the lock only in higher gears, eg Creta and Elantra have the wet clutch operate only from 3rd gear onwards, 2.0 Lit and above this lock may operate from second or even first. In petrol engines below 1.8 lit converter locks engage only in top eg in i20 if you count the shifts, you feel that 5th has engaged , but it is actually lock engaging in 4th.

During off roading we may desire the converter to lock up later, as a converter slip is also torque multiplication, but on highway, and going down a ghat we'd like it to lock early and give us a more positive drive. For this aftermarket modification kits are available. http://automatictransmission.com.au/...ockup-control/

Great report Tushar! And wonderfully augmented by SDP's views as always.

I have a few questions for a friend (not a BHPian) since the test drive vehicles aren't available. How quick will you rate the gearshifts (especially downshifts during kickdown) when compared to VW's 6-Speed DSG gearbox in the Jetta/Octavia? Also, is the jerk when coasting very prominent?

The XUV500 AT is my pick among the automatic SUVs. I'd pick it over the Creta AT, and even the more expensive Fortuner AT! Mahindra has conducted the wedding ceremony of the mHawk & Aisin with perfection. After driving the XUV500 AT, it feels like the gearbox was designed for the XUV500, and not the afterthought which it actually is. No jugaad here.

If anyone comes to me for XUV500 advice, I'll tell them to buy the AT over the MT. As SDP stated, many XUV500 MT owners will upgrade to the XUV500 AT. Not just for the automatic tranny, but also because the next level of SUVs cost 8 - 10 lakhs more (Fortuner, Pajero Sport, Trailblazer), but they really don't offer that much more, do they?

Actually, I would look at this slightly differently. Few key takeaways for me re the XUV are:

1. Sub par fit and finish quality;
2. Not as reliable as possibly a Creta / Toyota
3. Service again is not on par with Hyundai / Toyota.
4. With 7 seats up, there is ZERO boot space - this is unlike most if not all prominent 7 seaters above and below the XUV (ok even the Captiva doesn't have space)

If I was ok to own a 5 seater cross over / SUV, I'd pick the D/AT Creta over this.

If I HAD TO have a 7 seater, I'd pick the 2016 Innova D/AT over the XUV. The price delta in buying is not necessarily the Pajero / Fortuner segment. Many owners need a 7 seater more than the SUV factor. To that end, an Innova can do most of what a real world XUV owner requires and actually subjects his XUV to. Its well worth the extra cash you need to plonk for the Innova, even at expected 2016 model prices.

The XUV makes sense over the above options ONLY if:
- you MUST have an SUV and not MUV;
- the extra space the XUV provides over the Creta is CRUCIAL.

For all else, in my view its either the Innova D/AT or Creta D/AT that makes better sense.

Actually, I would look at this slightly differently. Few key takeaways for me re the XUV are:

1. Sub par fit and finish quality;
2. Not as reliable as possibly a Creta / Toyota
3. Service again is not on par with Hyundai / Toyota.

Yes you don't get the same quality as the Creta in the XUV but you are getting a much bigger car a segment higher not a compact crossover. The compromise is interior quality but the XUV makes up with even more features than the Creta.

If you are ok to compromise on quality you are getting more bang for your buck.

Mahindra's are known to have niggles and will not match toyota but they have pretty solid mechanicals which won't leave you stranded. I would give that to them. The niggles however are a big minus.

I would get a better driving car than go for a more reliable or cheaper to maintain car which wasn't good to drive.

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4. With 7 seats up, there is ZERO boot space - this is unlike most if not all prominent 7 seaters above and below the XUV (ok even the Captiva doesn't have space)

The Creta is not even a comfortable 5 seater thanks to the rear seat width. The XUV is giving you the option of 7 seats or a proper 5 seater with excess luggage. With the Creta you don't even get that option. So if you are losing boot over 7 seats it's still better than not having the option to seat 7.

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If I was ok to own a 5 seater cross over / SUV, I'd pick the D/AT Creta over this.

I would still go with XUV AT. Since the Creta D/AT is only in SX+ variant and priced above 17 lakhs on road, it loses too much features however good the interiors are. The SX+ feels bare bones basic.

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If I HAD TO have a 7 seater, I'd pick the 2016 Innova D/AT over the XUV. The price delta in buying is not necessarily the Pajero / Fortuner segment. Many owners need a 7 seater more than the SUV factor. To that end, an Innova can do most of what a real world XUV owner requires and actually subjects his XUV to. Its well worth the extra cash you need to plonk for the Innova, even at expected 2016 model prices.

The XUV makes sense over the above options ONLY if:
- you MUST have an SUV and not MUV;
- the extra space the XUV provides over the Creta is CRUCIAL.

For all else, in my view its either the Innova D/AT or Creta D/AT that makes better sense.

I'm pretty sure GTO meant the XUV AT is his pick amongst the options on sale today. Not what will be on sale next year.

2016 will see new Innova AT, Endeavour AT and Fortuner AT. At that time we will see which is better. Right now the Innova AT is not even been announced. Why bring up a car not even launched? What if Toyota gets the Innova above 25 lakhs for the AT.

Took a back to back test drive of the XUV500 automatic and manual - W10 version both FWD models. Automatic is so convenient. For the existing XUV owners, the torque steer and the heavy clutch may have become familiar but for a new XUV driver, this is a little bit unnerving. I used to drive an Innova and I didn't feel this much when I was driving it.

I test drove the automatic first and it was great. Manual was also good to drive but surely will be on hard on the left leg in start-stop traffic.

In the automatic car, I also couldn't upshift beyond 4th gear in manual mode using the fiddly button. I was driving at around 50 KMPH at a small stretch of open road. But when I moved to automatic mode and moved it back to manual mode, the gear box had shifted to 6. May be I missed something there. Anyway, it is not important for me. In the short test ride allowed, couldn't check torque steer etc.

The glaring omission of keyless entry is not really understandable. It may not be a deal breaker though. The key itself is very cheap compared to the deluxe key provided for the manual car.

Interior plastic didn't seem all that bad - soft touch material for the driver and passenger door arm resting place, front centre armrest. Certainly not like Jetta / Passat standard but I thought it is decent.

All in all, came away impressed with the automatic variant. It would be a breeze to drive this beast in city traffic and in highway. Extra space for the left leg to rest on.

AT delivery may take up to 1 month is that I am told. Not sure about the delivery of AWD AT. But I guess it will be even better to drive.

It seems while comparing Creta with XUV Engine specs, Bhp and Torque figures are completely forgotten which are too important to be ignored.

Well as is power to weight. I'm guessing the XUV won't outgun the Creta by a lot given their relative power AND weight differential.

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Originally Posted by Vid6639

Yes you don't get the same quality as the Creta in the XUV but you are getting a much bigger car a segment higher not a compact crossover. The compromise is interior quality but the XUV makes up with even more features than the Creta.

If you are ok to compromise on quality you are getting more bang for your buck.

Mahindra's are known to have niggles and will not match toyota but they have pretty solid mechanicals which won't leave you stranded. I would give that to them. The niggles however are a big minus.

There's the difference. For me, I'd place a much bigger premium on quality than features.

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Originally Posted by Vid6639

I would get a better driving car than go for a more reliable or cheaper to maintain car which wasn't good to drive.

I actually assumed the Creta is also comparable in how good it is to drive. If the 5OO is significantly better in its driving experience then I would have to reconsider but from what I've read so far I'm not aware that's the case.

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Originally Posted by Vid6639

The Creta is not even a comfortable 5 seater thanks to the rear seat width. The XUV is giving you the option of 7 seats or a proper 5 seater with excess luggage. With the Creta you don't even get that option. So if you are losing boot over 7 seats it's still better than not having the option to seat 7.

By 5 seater I was simply contrasting 5 vs 7 seats. I think very many people don't regularly use all 5 seats although its hard to generalise. If you need to seat 5 adults regularly then this is an important advantage for XUV. If that's not the case though, the lesser width of Creta is not a deal breaker. The city friendly driving and parking footprint and mode sedan like driving experience however is valuable.

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Originally Posted by Vid6639

I'm pretty sure GTO meant the XUV AT is his pick amongst the options on sale today. Not what will be on sale next year.

2016 will see new Innova AT, Endeavour AT and Fortuner AT. At that time we will see which is better. Right now the Innova AT is not even been announced. Why bring up a car not even launched? What if Toyota gets the Innova above 25 lakhs for the AT.

Fair point - I'm sure the analysis was purely in the context of what's available to buy today. Having said that, what I meant was that the 5OO need not only be seen in the context of the big boy SUVs that are all upwards of 30 lakh. I for one fully expect a top of line 2016 Innova AT to retail on road in the region of INR 24 odd lakhs. My only point was if someone really needs a proper 7 seater (and not an SUV), it doesn't have to be the quantum stretch to the 30 lakh+ options. There's soon going to be something out there that will likely be a much better option for perhaps 4 - 5 lakhs more instead.

The first lot of XUV500 did have lot of issues with finishing and fittings, the issues are much less now, but one thing for sure the XUV's with 3 years and a lakh and half km on the ODO have not actually deteorated much further.
Innova is a well built vehicle, I used two one for 1.9 Lakh km and another for 1.5 Lakh, they just do not deteorate, my first car was purchased by my driver and re regestered as a Taxi and had 5.5 lakh when he sold it further in 2012, even till then the car had no issues. The same cannot be said about the Fortuner the costlier sibling from Toyota stable. The max running I have seen on Fortuners used by friends is under 2 lakhs, and the fittings have deteorated considerably. The harsh suspension actually damages the dashboard, and internal panels, not expected from a Toyata vehicle.
cretas are just comming in, but seeing condition of other Hyundai cars with over a Lakh km on the odo i dont think the finishing will last.
So XUV500 AT which though not perfect being more likely to stay as it is is the best bet until the new Innova comes in. I hope the next Innova has better ground clearance.

Too late by Mahindra but nevertheless seems in good time for all the potential AT SUV launches lined up in the next year or two. Got to hand it to Mahindra for not skimping on the features and offering the XUV5OO AT in more than one variant. Other companies should definitely take note and hopefully some day we'll have transmission options across all variants and not just a few!

I just sold off my Vento and am in the market for an automatic vehicle. The W10 AT AWD really appeals to all the senses there are. Even for someone like me who has never done off-roading in my life I will most probably not buy this without the AWD. Barring the push button start stop I can't think of much missing from the W10 AT! Definitely makes the Fortuner seem like an unnecessary expense in its current avatar. I think I'll wait for the launch of the new Innova AT and Endeavour AT before taking a call on my next ride. Hopefully till then some of the minor issues would have been ironed out.

Well done Mahindra! Now time for the TATAs to wake up to the AT market!

If I was ok to own a 5 seater cross over / SUV, I'd pick the D/AT Creta over this.

See, that's the thing. If I wanted a FWD 5-Seater, I wouldn't bother with an SUV in the first place. If I buy an SUV over a sedan, it would be because of the additional capability - AWD or 7-seats or both. If my SUV doesn't have any of these capabilities over a sedan, I'd much rather buy a faster, better handling, better braking, better driving, more equipped sedan.

To me, an SUV without AWD / 4x4 is like a sports car with a top speed of 100 kph.

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Sub par fit and finish quality

You need to check out the newer XUV500. Interior quality is ordinary, but definitely not 'sub par'. And mind you, the Creta isn't the last word in quality either. Hyundai has done a lot of cost cutting with the car.

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Not as reliable as possibly a Creta / Toyota

It's not 'unreliable' either. But yes, a Creta will be a lot, lot more fuss-free to own over 100,000 kms.

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With 7 seats up, there is ZERO boot space

But you have the option of carrying 7 OR using a big boot. This option isn't available with 5-seater SUVs.

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If I HAD TO have a 7 seater, I'd pick the 2016 Innova D/AT over the XUV.

Quite a sweeping statement considering we don't even know how the 2016 Innova drives, whether it will come with an AT and what price point it will be at. I could tell you that I'll buy the 2022 next-gen XUV500 over the 2016 Innova, but that's going nowhere.

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Originally Posted by Axe77

Having said that, what I meant was that the 5OO need not only be seen in the context of the big boy SUVs that are all upwards of 30 lakh.

Please tell me the prices of other SUVs that offer this cabin space, AT and AWD. And when it comes to the cabin and comfort, the XUV500 is superior to the 33 lakh Fortuner 4x4 AT.

The quality of interiors and niggles have been a part of the XUV legacy. With all the short comings the XUV has still managed to sell some good numbers and has a lot of happy customers. Personally I feel it's the road presence, great looks and seven seater option that clicks for XUV.